1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vegetable protein products, and more particularly to a process for making a vegetable base meat analog.
A ground meat pattie, when cooked by baking, grilling or pan frying loses much of its moisture and undergoes a substantial weight loss. This weight loss results in a obvious shrinkage of the cooked meat product. The total moisture loss in any meat due to the cooking out of the natural juices is an inevitable consequence of the cooking process and largely depends upon the degree of cooking.
Recent trends in food consumption show that people are becoming more health conscious and monitoring their food intake as the result of recent research into the possible effects of particular foodstuffs on health. Animal products are the only dietary source of cholesterol and may contain high levels of saturated fats. This has led large numbers of health professionals to recommend that the public significantly reduce their intake of red meats. Fish and poultry have become popular substitutes, but vegetable protein also is increasing in popularity. Generally, vegetable protein is eaten in the form of beans or other natural products alone or mixed with animal foodstuffs, but enriched sources such as flours, concentrates and isolates of defatted oilseed, especially soy, have been developed for use as food ingredients.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vegetable protein based meat analog products or gelling food products, for example, cheese and yogurt, offer many health benefits to consumers. Consumer acceptance of these products is directly related to organoleptic qualities such as texture, flavor, mouthfeel and appearance. Attempts have been made to produce vegetable protein products that may be used as meat substitutes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,656 discloses a method for preparing quick cooking food products which are palatable, bland, light colored, meat-like in texture, chewable chunks when hydrated. The method involves pressing plant protein material containing 30 percent or higher protein, 5 to 10 percent moisture and NSI of about 30 to 70 at a temperature sufficient to convert the moisture into steam. As a result, the plant protein material is rendered partially or substantially bland.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,943,441 and 5,068,117 disclose methods of processing whole soybeans to produce discrete, irregularly-shaped chunks or pieces of textured proteinaceous material which are free from off flavors and odors and have a meat-like texture and appearance. The methods involve acidifying whole soybeans and grinding in aqueous medium to provide an aqueous slurry or dough of soybean particles, which is passed through high temperature pressurized steam under conditions which effect texturization of the soy protein in the form of discrete chunks or pieces. The texturized pieces are dried and re-hydrated for use in a wide variety of food products. Additives such as flavoring, coloring, fat, seasoning and other proteinaceous materials may be incorporated in the texturized soy protein pieces.
The above-mentioned meat-like vegetable protein products may not be suitable as protein sources for gel-based food products like those useful in pickling brines, which must have good gel forming properties at relatively low cooking temperatures and good water and fat binding properties. Typically, vegetable proteins and combinations of vegetable proteins such as vital wheat gluten and soy protein isolate will form viscous mixes, prior to cooking, which are difficult to handle in pumping and forming equipment. Also, the cooked products from these protein sources are typically significantly different in chewiness or “bite” from the natural texture of processed meat products or gelled food products.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,058 discloses a process for producing a soybean protein material having taste, color and water-dispersibility suitable for use as a pickling solution at high concentrations and in viscous liquid foods such as soup. The process comprises the steps of hydrolyzing soybean protein, emulsifying an oil-and-fat ingredient with the soybean protein and drying the mixture.
There is a need for a better quality vegetable protein meat analog, that can be used in a wide variety of vegetarian food products.